Massachusetts State Police arrest 32-year-old woman in fatal hit-and-run crash on Route 495

Massachusetts State Police have made an arrest in a hit-and-run crash that turned fatal.

According to Dave Procopio of Massachusetts State Police, on the night of Saturday, Dec. 30th, Massachusetts State Troopers responded to a hit-and-run crash on Route 495 north in Andover. One of the victims, an elderly woman in the rear seat of the vehicle that was struck, was transported by medical helicopter to a Boston Hospital. She subsequently died from her injuries. Later in the night, Lawrence Police located and apprehended the suspect, who is suspected of having been intoxicated at the time of the crash.

At 10:45 p.m., State Police began receiving multiple calls from motorists reporting a crash on Route 495 north, south of Exit 99. Preliminary investigation by responding Troopers indicates that a 2009 Honda Fit hatchback was northbound, with a 2014 Ford Edge sedan also northbound behind it. In the area of the 98.8-mile marker, the Ford crashed into the rear of the Honda. The Honda was pushed across the breakdown lane and struck the guardrail. The driver of the Edge did not stop and continued northbound on Route 495.

The two rear seat passengers in the Honda, a 76-year-old male and a 75-year-old woman, both of Methuen, were entrapped in the vehicle. Andover Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to free them. Both rear passengers were transported to Boston hospitals by MedFlight. The two front occupants, a 22-year-old Methuen woman who was driving and a 53-year-old Methuen woman who was the front seat passenger, were transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital with minor injuries.

At the scene of the crash, Troopers located evidence relevant to the registration of the Ford Edge. A short time later, Lawrence Police Officers located the suspect vehicle at a Gulf gas station on Route 114 in their city. The vehicle had front end damage and a registration matching the evidence observed at the crash scene.

Trooper Brian Meoli responded to the gas station and spoke to the Edge’s driver, Jaymee K. Miller, a 32-year-old female from Lawrence. The Trooper then conducted several Standardized Field Sobriety Tests on Miller. Based upon the results of the tests and his observations, the Trooper placed Miller under arrest for OUI-Liquor, Leaving the Scene of a Crash Causing Personal Injury; and Leaving the Scene of a Crash Causing Property Damage. She was booked at the State Police-Andover Barracks, where she refused to submit to a chemical breath test to detect the presence of alcohol. As a result, she was given a mandatory license suspension and her driver’s license was seized. A bail clerk set bail at $20,000 plus the mandatory $40 bail fee. Miller was transported to the Suffolk County House of Correction to be held until able to post bail or arraignment in Lawrence District Cout.

Troopers at the State Police-Andover Barracks were notified Monday that the female backseat passenger, 75-year-old Luzmila Quispe, died from her injuries at the hospital.

Charges against Miller may be upgraded to reflect the death of the passenger depending on the results of the ongoing investigation.

The investigation is being conducted by the State Police-Andover Barracks, State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, and State Police Crime Scene Services Section, along with the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.